Meet Sofia Aun | Community Affairs Manager & Government Affairs Liaison at Truist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sofia Aun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sofia, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
This is one of the best lessons I’ve learned in life, however I would reframe this as not merely determining when to “give up” but rather pausing and thinking about if you’re approaching an issue strategically. A good example of this is when I was applying for my current role as Community Affairs Manager and Government Affairs Liaison at Truist. For two years, I had been interviewing for other roles and didn’t get selected, I felt sad and disappointed because I was ready for the next move in my career. However, I’m happy because I would have never have had the opportunity to work in the role I’m in now, which is my dream job. When I learned I didn’t get the roles I had applied for, I proactively connected with the hiring managers and asked them for feedback. I then realized my interviewing approach needed to change and how I could be telling my story in a more impactful manner. What didn’t change was my civic engagement and volunteerism. This helped me continue to build my skills set which has helped me intentionally partner and connect with others in the role. Three years ago, if you told me I’d be in a role like this, I never would have believed you, because I didn’t think it was possible for somebody like me. When I look at my life though, I realized that this is the type of work I’m drawn to and loved it so much I had been volunteering and honing my skills for years, which prepared me for my current role.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I work for Truist as the Community Affairs Manager and Government Affairs Liaison for Georgia. In my role, I lead our grant making from the local allocation of the Truist Foundation and the Trusteed Foundations in Greater Atlanta/Northern Georgia, by meeting with community organizations to identify needs and driving collective impact between the region teams, community development/CRA, and philanthropy. Increasing teammate community engagement through volunteerism and Board service is another part of my role, as well as tracking Truist investments and collaborating with Marketing to communicate our impact story.

I majored in English, with a concentration in Writing and Publication, minored in Spanish, and never thought I’d be working in banking, but I’ve loved my career here at Truist and feel like I’ve landed my dream job. I’ve been volunteering in the Atlanta community for years and developed my civic leadership skills and board experience. Volunteering helped me realize how happy helping others made me feel, and was an excellent way to use my natural talents. I knew I wanted to work with Truist because of the phenomenal work done in our community and felt that my values aligned with theirs. I feel uniquely positioned for this role as I’m leveraging my passion and energy for the community and blending it with an innovative and fresh perspective.
Prior to this job, I worked in a role that was completely unrelated to what I’m in now, however I continued to develop my civic engagement and community building skills while volunteering. When I interviewed for my current role, I was able to speak to a diverse set of leadership roles that I’d held over the years and the relationships I had built across multiple communities as well. I volunteered with Mayor Andre Dickens’ mayoral campaign in 2021 and was named as the Latinx Strategy and Outreach Director, this led to me serving on his Inauguration Committee and finally served on his Transition Team on the Neighborhood Empowerment Committee. This is why I’m a staunch advocate for volunteering, it helps others when you dedicate your talents, and you’re able to build your skill set as well.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a huge advocate of our parks and greenspaces, I’m lucky to serve on the board of Park Pride and the Historic Oakland Cemetery Foundation and always take friends on walks through the parks. Oakland Cemetery is also a city park and has a vibrant history. As you walk, you’ll see tombs and statues juxtaposed with the downtown skyline and it’s a stunning testament to the rich history of this city and also a reminder of the continued work we have to do to advance equity. The Sara J. González Park located in the Northwest part of Atlanta is a must, since it’s the only park in the state of Georgia named after a person of Latinx descent. I’m the founder of our Officer Edgar I. Flores Memorial Latin American Ethnobotanical garden, which is both educational and experiential.

For food, I always advocate for Summerhill, Little Tart is my go-to for breakfast and you can find me there on weekday mornings catching a quick bite to eat with a friend. It’s definitely a favorite for me during Legislative Session as it’s a quick drive to the Gold Dome from there, there’s nothing better than pastries and politics.

I’m an avid power-walker and recovering runner and my joints appreciate the rubber track on the beltline. I love making stops along the way to eat and visit with friends. One of my favorite things to do is listen to Victoria Lemos’s podcast “Archive Atlanta” and tour the specific neighborhood she’s focused on in a podcast episode. This was a hobby of mine during the pandemic and provided a more in-depth understanding of the city. I’m also a history nerd and love old buildings and anything with historic preservation. By George in the Candler Hotel is great for breakfast, it’s a couple blocks from my work and I love basking in the beauty of the architecture and appreciate the historic preservation.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents, my sister and my husband have always been there for me, I’m lucky to have grown up in an environment where my parents encouraged a love of the arts. My mom is an immigrant from Bogotá, Colombia and took my sister and me to the library weekly because she didn’t want us to struggle with reading like she did when she immigrated. Because of my mother, I became a voracious reader, fell in love with storytelling, learning about people, and later decided to major in English. During my years in college, a frequent question posed to me was: “What are you going to do with an English degree?” in college and I honestly didn’t know. I felt frustrated and was crying about it to my dad one day. I’ll never forget, when my dad looked at me and said “whenever somebody asks you that, you just tell them ‘I’m going to do something amazing’” . Years later, whenever I’m feeling tired or frustrated, I think of that memory and how beautiful and rewarding my life has been. There have certainly been struggles and failures, but my parents instilled a sense of grit and perseverance in me. Now as I look at my life, I’m thankful my parents encouraged me to pursue a liberal arts education and cultivated a love of literature and language within me, because it taught me to pursue things I loved, even when people didn’t see what I did. Because of my education, it’s made me a more empathetic person, I can identify themes and see patterns in places you wouldn’t traditionally see them, I’m able to understand others because great literature is created by compelling storytelling and we as humans cherish that. It’s one of the most ancient forms of communication and there are themes that unite us across the centuries. Everyone experiences happiness, heartbreak, success, failure and redemption at one point in their life; it is through story that we are united and able to authentically connect.

Instagram: @sofia.m.aun

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/sofiamarieaun

Facebook: Sofia Marie Aun

Image Credits
@ultralightphotobooth